The Manchester Urban Observatory deployed IoT sensors and created Greater Manchester’s first open platform for real time transport and environmental data.
The project was led by the Urban 360 team and formed part of the £140m UK Collaboratorium for Research in Infrastructure and Cities programme. It brought research on smart cities, health and air quality together to show how data, IoT sensors and analytics can support decision-making in cities.
The Manchester Urban Observatory monitored traffic interventions for local councils in Greater Manchester and London, indoor air quality in schools, and developed the first real-time pollen monitoring capability in the UK. Our data platform, Manchester-I, hosts real time environmental and transport data from across the region, including from other research projects and key partners such as Transport for Greater Manchester. IoT-enabled air quality, mobility and meteorological sensors supported partners across the region and were available to users on a bookable basis.
The team won a number of awards and received national press coverage. The Manchester Urban Observatory is an innovative new model showing how Universities can support sustainable cities through partnerships, IoT sensors and big data.
Funder
EPSRC
Disciplines
Environmental Science, Data Science, Public Health, Computer Science, Geography, Planning.
Partners
Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester, Stockport
Council, Global Action Plan.
Project Value
Key Outputs
6 research papers, £6m further funding, £0.5 consultancy
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